NextBillion ally Bill Stevenson - who blogs for Lenovo at The Heart of Business - pointed me to a 6-minute CNN story about a recent TechnoServe business plan competition in Kenya.  Entitled "Believe, Begin, Become," the competition's initial 5,000 applicants were whittled down to 100 finalists and eventually 1 winner.

Interestingly, Believe, Begin, Become is the subject of a forthcoming documentary by Carol Pineau.  NextBillion and BoP enthusiasts will recognize Pineau as the creator and director of the 2006 documentary Africa, Open for Business.  In the CNN video, Pineau is interviewed about her six subjects in the forthcoming documentary, telling viewers a bit about each entrepreneur, their business, and - most gripping - how recent political and social upheaval have impacted them.  For more on the documentary and competition, check out Pineau's recently-launched Kenya Stories web site.

Be sure to check out the CNN clip, and keep an eye out for the 'handsome pale white guy' - nice self-description, Bill.

What do Aravind Eye Care, d.light design, Ekgaon Technologies, ITC's e-Choupal, and the much awaited Tata Nano have in common?

New market segments?
Radically new paradigms?
Technology?

As the BoP discussion moves from whether-to-invest to where-to-invest, there is an increasing need to measure the impact of new ventures. I see a strong correlation between Successful Models and Technology.

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